


Conflicted

by orphan_account



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, aaaaaaa i'm really not that good at tags??, and they are both v clueless babies, because adrien seriously has some kind of emotion toward marinette, okay but hear me out here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-16 04:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5813260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the whole "Nino and Alya get chatty in a cage and probably dish all of the dirt on Marinette's boy problems" thing that totally happened in <em>Le Animan</em>, Adrien gets interested in how Nino can have such a sudden change of heart, and just abandon his feelings like that. Adrien then decides that he might as well meddle in Marinette's love life, because he really wants the best turnout for his sweet classmate that he is kind-of-probably-into.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so, thanks for giving this a look! I have plans to take this story somewhere, but for right now, it might be kind of lame. Anyway, if I get my information wrong or have errors or something throughout this work, please let me know. This is the first thing I think that I've ever published online(?), so, I mean, my conventions are probably hella wonky, but hey, thanks for the glance over.

                “What do you _MEAN_ you’re _not into her now?!_ ” Adrien said, arms gesturing wildly as he sat on the bench with Nino. His best friend who, not even twenty-four full hours before, told him that he liked their classmate Marinette, just shrugged, trying extremely hard to not make eye contact.

“Well, some things happened, and… Y’know, being trapped in a cage with someone for a few hours gives you some perspective. Especially when they are best friends with the girl you were originally pining after.” Adrien huffed, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder. Whatever happened apparently was very eye-opening for Nino, and as much as he wanted to, he was not going to pry. _Much_.

“Okay, but seriously, what happened, Nino? You were talking about her like she’s the sun yesterday. I mean… If I thought of someone like that, it would be especially tough to just ‘ _get over’_ them like _this._ “He punctuated his words with a snap before looking to Nino for his answer.

“Ah, well…” A nervous chuckle escaped Nino as he looked anywhere but at Adrien, “I-It’s just that Alya and I talked for a while and she made some good points about things...” Adrien crossed his arms, expecting elaboration, and Nino, being terrible under pressure from his friend, cracked with one glance. “Okay, okay, look. I’ll tell you what Alya told me, but don’t tell Alya or Marinette that you found out from me, and don’t get… weird about it, okay?”

Adrien crinkled his nose at this. Why would he get weird about anything? “What do you mean by that? Why would I get weird about it?” Adrien rolled his eyes, squeezing his can of punch. It certainly didn’t seem like anything that could have went down yesterday would have anything to do with him, so he couldn’t find a reason for it to ever make him “weird”.

“Uh, I’m just saying… Look, just forget that part. The main things are that Alya is really cute and attractive and stuff, like, man, she’s really hot and ambitious and-“A look from Adrien put him back on the right track, “Ahem… Well, Alya is really great and stuff, not that Mari isn’t, but she actually is into someone else.”

Adrien’s eyes widened at this. Marinette had a crush on someone? How cute! She was such a sweet and passionate person, he couldn’t believe that this was the first he had heard of it. Almost automatically, Adrien asked, “And who would that person be?” He was definitely curious about who she liked, but he realized as soon as the words passed his lips that it might have sounded a bit  _too_ eager. He quickly tried to cover, “I mean, maybe we can set them up, or at least see if they like her too?”

Nino caught the beat of impatience in Adrien’s tone and puffed up with some indistinct emotion, “Well, I mean, _we_ wouldn’t be doing anything about it because Alya wants to push Marinette to do it herself, but… If my bro wants some details on who’s caught our fair princess’s heart...”

Adrien took a moment to assess Nino’s choice in words, finding it a little ironic he used the pet name that Adrien himself had thought to use for Marinette as Chat Noir, before he nodded his head. “I mean, I’d like to help Marinette myself, even if it is just to see, personally, how this person feels about her. She’s nice and definitely deserves a person that actually can return her feelings…” He danced around saying that he actually was very interested in who exactly had caught the girl’s attention, but not exactly for reasons that he could place like that.

“Right, okay man. Well, I’m not going to name names, because Alya would somehow know and proceed to rip my guts out, but I can describe them for you.” Nino, hummed, sipping his energy drink. Adrien nodded, seizing the chance to try to piece together who had won Marinette’s affection.  “Uh, let’s see… It’s a guy that’s about our age. Blond, green eyes. Tall and stuff, you know,  a ‘teenage dreamboat,’ as Alya put it… Most people know him, I mean, he’s pretty famous, actually. I think a lot of people like him, or at least admire him..” He paused, waiting on a sign from Adrien that he needed more information to actually figure out who this guy was.

As Nino listed off the traits, Adrien’s mind tacked an image together. First, just a random guy around their age, then a handsome, fair-haired youth, the kind he often met when his father put him in teen fashion shows. But, as the mention of fame came into play, Adrien felt his heart do a flip. A famous, conventionally attractive teenager with green eyes and golden locks? Well, it was a bit egotistical, but the first person that came to mind was…

_Chat Noir._

“Oh my _god_ , Nino, I think I know who it is.” Adrien announced, sitting bolt-right. With a quick chug of his fruit punch, Adrien stood up, and tossed his trash into the bin across from their bench. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before. I mean, it _makes sense_! It actually makes enough sense to be true.” His friend gave him a questioning look that was soon replaced by relief.

Nino laughed, shaking his head at his pal. “Dude, you actually have it figured out, huh?” Adrien didn’t respond, and instead grabbed his bag from the ground. Nino raised a brow and followed his friend’s suite. “Where are you going, man?”

“Oh, uh, I just remembered I had some work that my Chinese tutor left for me, so I’m going to take care of that. I’ll see you at school, man.” Adrien gave his friend a wave before running off. Nino didn’t _seem_ to be that suspicious of his friend, Adrien noted as he departed, which was good. He finally let out a deep breath as he pressed to the wall of a narrow alley, right next to a dumpster that obstructed the street’s view of him.

 If Marinette had a crush on Chat Noir, he had to make sure, and then let her down softly, because there was only room for his Lady in his heart.

After all, it _wasn’t like_ he enjoyed being around her much more boisterous and outgoing personality as Chat Noir, especially given how similar he found her to be to Ladybug in the few situations that he’d seen her like such. He was just going to pop in and say hey, see if she acted… Flirtatious? Flustered?

Ugh, what was he even going to be looking for? She never seemed any different from the headstrong girl that led her class when she talked to him as Chat. How was he supposed to confront her? Did she just keep her feelings hidden under a fair layer of wit and sarcasm or -

“What’s wrong, loverboy, worried ‘Princess’ won’t take it well when you tell her about how you’re dedicated to your dear Lady?” Plagg’s voice rang out as he wriggled out of Adrien’s bag. If anything, he really didn’t need this now.

“Just mind your own business, _please_. I’m trying to figure out a strategy before I just _go_ there.” Adrien huffed, crossing his arms at his kwami. He wondered if Ladybug had to deal with such a stubborn and disinterested kwami, but then again, she was the lucky one of the two.

He regathered his thoughts as Plagg hushed and watched him with indifference. All Adrien had to do was go and actually have a chat with Marinette as Chat Noir. He’d flirt a little more than usual, see if that riled her up a bit, maybe toss in a comment about if she had a prince she’d prefer a visit from if she gave him that stingy sarcasm that was oh-so-much like his Lady’s.

Right. He could do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is definitely more to come! I realize it might not be a top piece of literature, but, hey, it's something. Comment, if you could, because, seriously, I really need to work on my writing-things-to-post skills, and knowing what is a good and bad would be v helpful and appreciated. Thanks so much for the read!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien actually tries to make good on his plans, but is foiled by silly plot devices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh, I'm so surprised by how positive all of the feedback was! Thanks to everyone who left Kudos on this work, and to all of the comment-makers, thanks so much! It's really inspiring to know that people actually find this story worth-while, and not as drabble-y as I thought it might seem. Seriously, all of you guys are really great, thanks so much!

                Correction: he could _not_ do this. As Adrien sat on a dark roof, watching the adjacent bakery that Marinette’s family owned and subsequently lived above grow dark, he felt whatever bravery and candor he had gathered behind that trash can leave him. What was even wrong with him? He had never been nervous about talking to Marinette before, as Chat or otherwise. What was the problem?

He stood up, pacing the roof as he pondered that question. What was the problem, indeed? He liked Marinette as a friend, and he was glad to see how warm and loving her family seemed the day before. If she liked Chat Noir, he would definitely be able to let her down gently, having had his own heart pulled a little too rough for such a long time. He could empathize with her, and maybe they’d be better friends for it. The thought brought a smile to his lips, but that quickly dropped as he saw a little hatch on the roof of the Dupain-Cheng’s bakery open up, and the girl of the hour ascend.

It was now or never, right? If he wanted to address this, he’d best do it now. All the same, Chat Noir was frozen in place as he watched his classmate take a seat in the beach chair on the roof and pull out her little sketchpad. It was almost endearing how concentrated she looked sitting there. He stood there for a time, just casually watching her, before it dawned on him that this was a perfect moment to sneak up on her and not continue this trend of being a big weirdo about girls with pigtails that were supposedly his friend.

With as much noiselessness as he could muster, he made the leap to a roof next to the bakery, then climbed up the brick divider to look down upon Marinette and her little design. He couldn’t make out much of it, being more focused on whether he’d been caught, but it seemed to look like something impressive, not that that was a surprise. Marinette was a great designer, enough so that she’d caught Adrien’s father’s attention, and her sketches seemed to reflect her prestige in volumes. He crouched down and watched her for a few seconds, taking in how she seemed so focused on the drawing, before speaking up.

“Wow, Princess, I didn’t realize you had such talent hidden up your sleeves...” He realized as soon as it came out that it sounded very rude, and he quickly grasped for something better that he could say to clean up the mess he just made.

Marinette’s sketchpad snapped shut as she whipped around to look at Chat, a mix of disdain and confusion on her softly illuminated features. “Wow, I didn’t realize that just taking in such a nice night was an invitation for any little tomcat to come by. What did you want, Chat Noir?” Her eyes were incredibly steady for some civilian that just had the supposed man-of-their-dreams drop on their terrace, he noted as he reclined on the wall, much like an actual alley cat might.

“Well, little lady, I was just taking a nice walk about the beautiful city when I thought I saw you. And, you know, I have been awfully neglectful of my Princess lately, haven’t I?” Adrien really pulled out the stops on this one, dressing his words with as much flirtatious allure as he could pull out at this point. He could flirt with citizens as Chat Noir, yes, but it almost surely should have felt like a betrayal. He offered her a grin as Marinette stood to assess the superhero.

“Chat Noir, I don’t like being teased, especially when the whole of Paris knows how you feel about Ladybug. What is this about?” The teen crossed her arms as she stared back at Chat with the same kind of resolve that he could see in his Lady’s eyes when they faced an especially tough foe. “If you’re trying to play around, I’m sorry to say that I’m no mouse. I’m sorry, but I am not as star-struck as I might have seemed when you ‘guarded’ me. That, Kitty, was me trying to ease your heroic ego.”

To say the least, Adrien was taken aback. Whoever this sourpuss was, it was most certainly not a Marinette that he’d thought he’d ever met. He leaned further off of the wall, getting a better look at her in the string lights. She looked a lot more tired than he’d ever seen her before. Maybe she hadn’t been sleeping well? He knew that same feeling all too well, but probably not for the same reasons as Marinette might have had. Maybe that _could_ be the reason for the touch of vinegar in her tone, but it was a side of his classmate that he was more surprised by than anything.

He hummed, taking in how annoyed looked on her features, and how it reminded him of the displeasure she expressed when she had to deal with Chloè. Chat let himself slip a little closer to Marinette, keeping a sing-song smile on his face shortly before realizing that it probably could be seen as some kind of confirmation that he was indeed playing with her.

 “Me-ouch, Princess. You take me as a lesser man than I am. I am simply checking up on you, as a friendly gesture,” Adrien pouted, a bit unsure of what to do in place of smile at the rancor that she expressed. He felt good about how he played it off, but, sadly, realized a beat too late that he might have leaned a little too far from the wall that he had propped himself up on. He fell, but caught himself with a nice little somersault that put him at Marinette’s feet.

Her laughter rang out, and he saw whatever foul emotion she’d been dissipate if only slightly. It was a good feeling, knowing that he probably had cheered her up. Well, actually, he thought, given how he’d greeted her, it made a bit of sense that she had a rude tone, didn’t it? Well, hindsight was 20/20, Adrien noted as he laughed with her. He didn’t have a reason to laugh, but it bubbled out in a light chuckle as he rose. It was odd to be laughing like he was. It was warming and comfortable, rather than an awkward laugh like someone who had just made a fool of themselves should give.

“It seems to me that you’ve fallen for me, Chat Noir. “ Marinette sighed, a hint of amusement still at the tip of her words as she finished laughing. It was odd how she’d phrased it, given that Adrien was under the impression that _she_ was the one who had fallen for _him_ , but he digressed from that thought. He was here for a reason, and he was going to make sure he took care of that reason.

What was it again?

“Oh, what? No, no, I’ve done nothing of the sort! I just-,“ Chat Noir made a hasty attempt to stream together some kind of objection, as he obviously didn’t think that she could mean that in a literal and punny way, but once again, Marinette giggled, and he let it cut him off completely.

It was pleasant to get a rise out of her, given that she usually stumbled on her words or seemed at unease with him. He smiled absently, and before he could open his mouth to finish his thought, she spoke up.

“Wow, Kitty, you’re awfully quick protest. Are you saying that you didn’t fall to the ground because of me? Because, I mean, you were getting rather close there.” She smiled smugly at him, head leaning in a playful manner toward her left shoulder, and Adrien felt a recognizable pang in his chest as the motion struck him a bit more familiar than it should have.

Wait, no. No, no. This was _not_ how it was supposed to be. _He_ liked _Ladybug_. _He_ was the one here to flirt a little and see if _he_ could make _Marinette_ all flustered, so _he_ knew that it would be just if he gently rejected _her_. This was not how his strategy went. He wasn’t supposed to be looking at his classmate and considering all of the little similarities between her and his Lady that just now seemed to hit him. He was _most certainly not_ supposed to be giving her an awkwardly shy smile. Most definite of all, he should not have this looming feeling in his chest that maybe, _maybe_ , he was _a tiny bit_ more interested in Marinette than he should be, given his dedication to Ladybug.

Adrien realized a little later than he probably should have that he should have replied by now, given how her eyes had flipped from bemusement to worry. With a less-than-convincing-and-possibly-even-more-awkward smile, he rebutted, “Ah, well, I did. Technically. Anyway, I should be leaving you to your own business, shouldn’t I, Princess? Those designs looked great, and I'd hate to keep you from finishing them. Have a good evening, Marinette.”

And with that, he _bolted._ Chat Noir bowed to the girl, then took a running start from the terrace and jumped from roof to roof until he was far enough away from there to actually think. True, he had probably just made Marinette think that Chat Noir was a weirdo and _totally_ left an impression that he never wanted anyone to think of when they thought of his superhero persona, but Adrien didn’t know how he could even go about his plan now. He was a little too flustered, and it wasn’t the kind of flustered he was accustomed to when dealing with his shy classmate. As he landed on a flatter roof, he rested and gathered his thoughts. Or, rather, Adrien _tried_ to figure out the jumbled jigsaw of thoughts that rushed through his mind.

Why was he acting like this now? True, he had always considered Marinette a possible romantic interest if Ladybug was never going to be in the picture, but this was a lot more than just thinking that she was cute. It was putting her on a pedestal right next to the heroine of his dreams, and not being able to judge one as any better-or-worse than the other. It was like when his father had that contest with the bowler hats, and Chloè had replicated Marinette’s design - exactly the same, albeit neither girl here was copying the other in this situation. They were both genuinely as they seemed, he assumed.

With a drawn out groan, Adrien looked down and finally noticed the beeping of his ring, which was on the last claw before he would be automatically transformed into Adrien again. Having been pulled from his thoughts, Adrien cursed his loss of track of time, and beat a speedy trail back toward his home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, as fun as it is to write Adrien, I might have to switch perspectives and do a few chapters from Marinette's POV at some point, or maybe write some actual drabble chapters that elaborate on her POV. Again, thanks for reading this, and I'd really appreciate feedback if you can give it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien worries about stuff and isn't very lucky (he thinks).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update is SUPER late, but I kind of got distracted with school work and other stuff. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do like, scheduled updates, but I will try to not let more than a week or something like that go between chapters. I'm working on another chapter right now, and it's going to be the last of Adrien's POV before I switch to Marinette for a few chapters.

                He made it to the mansion as inconspicuously as ever, given that the empty manor rarely even noticed his absence. As Adrien slipped silently into his room, he revisited the similarities between Ladybug and Marinette. Both were headstrong young ladies with enough compassion for the whole of the world, most days. Both Marinette and Ladybug, if he remembered correctly, had a ridge of freckles dotting their nose and cheeks – faint like stars in a city sky, but certainly there. Their eye color, hair color, hell, even their _hairstyles_ were a bit too close for comfort. Was he daft or something? What was he missing here? Was Marinette a big Ladybug fan too? Or even, an impersonator, doing like Chloè by dressing up like his Lady- _oh, that was a thought_ -, or did she just following her around? Was that how Ladybug knew Marinette? He had speculated they were familiar since he protected Marinette from their akumatized classmate with a crush on her, but was Marinette some kind of reckless, super-involved Ladybug fan or something? Were they privately friends? Did Marinette know who Ladybug really was? Oh god, how involved with each other were they? His mind was reeling by the time Adrien flopped onto his bed.

“What if they are secretly playing some cruel joke on me?” He pondered aloud, staring at the white ceiling as all of the different possibilities began to engulf him. It would be horrendously out of either girl’s character if they were, and Adrien realized this, but his life could be so unlucky at times that it could very much be true that two of the few people he could say he got a kick out of just _being around_ were playing him like a drum.

“You’re too stupid, you know that?” Plagg groaned from Adrien’s desk, a reserve chunk of camembert in his tiny paws. The kwami had put up with quite enough of the whole teen-angst-and-impossible-worry thing, and the fact that his ward was still so bothered by his overthinking was annoying in the least. “You humans find the littlest things to pick at and worry about. Just let it be. Things work out.”

The blond gave a huff of protest, rolling to face Plagg’s direction. He didn’t know anything. “Will it now? Plagg, it’s not a ‘will things work out?’ kind of problem. I… Marinette is the one in love with me, as Chat Noir, but, when we were talking, she just… I don’t know.” Adrien flipped to his back to look at the ceiling again, “She was so much like Ladybug, but, not? She is Marinette, but she kind of acts like Ladybug sometimes - a lot of times, actually. Like, when she takes charge and stuff. I mean, I just kind of brushed it off before, but she acts a lot like Ladybug...”

The level of obliviousness that his ward possessed was astonishing to Plagg, and he sighed, as he thought of a way to not break the poor kid’s brain, but still lead him in the right direction.

“Adrien, maybe she acts like Ladybug because she _is_ Ladybug. How about that for a thought?”

“Absolutely not. I mean… Lady is fearless and _always_ able to speak her mind. She’s graceful and precise and perfect all of the time. No offense, but Marinette gets tongue-tied and stuff when she talks around me, which is probably my fault because I might intimidate her or something, but she is _not_ very graceful either. Er, well… I mean, not with me. As Adrien. Again… Do you think she doesn’t like me or something?” As Adrien rambled on and on, Plagg decided to just go to bed, since his attempt at opening the boy’s eyes was hopeless. If he didn’t want to see what was in front of him, he wouldn’t.

A good amount of time passed before Adrien revisited the idea that his resting kwami brought up. He didn’t even notice the lack of responses from Plagg, given how caught up he was in tip-toeing around the subject.

“… Okay, but, it can’t be that simple, right? I mean, if it were that simple, then wouldn’t all of Paris be able to figure it out? I mean, Marinette being Ladybug… That’s just too straight-to-the-point, Plagg… Plagg?”

 

* * *

 

 

Adrien woke up groggy and confused. Given that he stayed up a few hours later than he should have, thinking about whether he was right about Marinette’s feelings and pondering her tie to Ladubug, it was no surprise. The alarm he had set to wake him up seemed to come too soon as well, but as he sat up in his bed, he realized it was a little late. Or, actually, _a lot_ late. A knock from Nathalie at the door confirmed that, indeed, he had slept through his initial alarm and was only had ten minutes to get ready, eat (if he could even squeeze in breakfast), and get to school before the first bell. Needless to say, Adrien made a mad scramble to make himself presentable, skipped a no-doubt-unsatisfying breakfast, and made it into the building just as the first bell to go to classes rang. Plagg was anything but pleased with the rush, but an extra hunk of cheese later would put him in a better mood.

The lockers were basically abandoned by the time Adrien reached them, which was a sign he needed to put it into high gear to get into the classroom before the tardy bell rang. He couldn’t risk a mark on his record like that, given how much his father expected. Not that it would be a big deal – he’d just get that look and a few discouraging words from the older Agreste. It really shouldn’t have mattered, but it did all the same. As Adrien rounded the corner to sprint to what he believed would be Madame Bustier’s class, he crashed into somebody that was already in a full sprint toward the stairs.

He groaned as he tried to gather his wits, and the other person started to speak. “Ugh, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t-,” they cut off midsentence with a squeak, and it donned on Adrien just then who it was that he had crashed into. He definitely needed to find some better luck, because there was Marinette, sitting with a frazzled look on her face. Great for him, perfect, amazing. He felt his face grow a little warmer, and he scrambled to supplement her apology.

“No, no, don’t worry about it. I wasn’t looking where I was going and I came in late, and I should have just went to the classroom. Uh, here.” He slid the stationary that he didn’t recognize as his to her with a gentle smile, then scooped up his own books. “If we really hurry, we might not be late. And if we are, maybe Madame will let us off the hook. I mean, together we’d have a decent excuse, if anything else.” He stood and offered his hand to help her up.

There was an awkward pause before she accepted both the proposition and his hand with a hasty nod, and Adrien took that brief interval to note a faint blush on her cheeks. He brushed it off as embarrassment, which was _exactly_ how he was going to write off his increase in heartbeat when she took his hand and they ran to the classroom.

The two barely made it to class on time. The bell rung just as they entered. Madame Bustier was still prepping for the lesson, so they would have been safe if they had take a few more moments in the halls anyway. Adrien took his seat, and heard Alya whisper something excitedly to Marinette as she slid in behind him. He wouldn’t eavesdrop on the two, but it was tempting. Not that _he_ was _interested_ in what Alya could say to make Marinette laugh so airily. Totally not for any reason like that. He had more important things to worry about, like why Nino was giving him that stupid look, like he'd caught him doing something. Adrien raised a quizzical brow at his friend, but knew that an actual conversation would have to wait until the first break of the day. Until then, he just had to ignore the bubbly personality behind him, the two sets of knowing eyes to his left, and at the very least _try_ to focus on Madame Bustier’s lesson on French Literature for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be a continuation of the day in this chapter, and I feel like I should try to make it easier to feel out the times in the story. Like, seriously, I am BAD at describing time stuff, but I digress. The next chapter I'm going to try to get out by Thursday, but like I said, I'm not sure about scheduling when I post. Thanks for reading, anyway, and give me feedback if you think I could do something better or if you just want to comment.


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